Deluxe Reissues and Box Sets Roundup: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, GNR, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Vince Guaraldi

This fall will see the release of a slew of highly-anticipated deluxe reissues, box sets and special collections including titles from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, John Cougar Mellencamp, Guns N' Roses, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Vince Guaraldi.

Artist: The Beach Boys

Title: Sail On Sailor (Capitol)

You might like if you enjoy: The Beach Boys, classic rock

Tell me more: The Beach Boys' 60th Anniversary celebration continues with the forthcoming release of Sail On Sailor, a collection that revisits the landmark 1972 albums Carl And The Passions and Holland. This 6CD set — set for release Nov. 18 — features a 48-page book with extensive liner notes, rare photos and more. The expansive collection includes remastered versions of the original albums along with outtakes and session highlights from the original "Mount Vernon and Fairway" EP from Holland, plus a previously unreleased 1972 concert from Carnegie Hall. What's more, the title includes dozens of studio and live additional tracks, sessions and alternate versions. Information: TheBeachBoys.com.

The 5CD super deluxe edition of 'Revolver' is one of 2022's
most highly anticipated reissues.

Artist: The Beatles

Title: Revolver (Capitol)

You might like if you enjoy: The Beatles

Tell me more: On Oct. 28, 2022, The Beatles' 1966 masterwork Revolver will be released worldwide in a range of newly-mixed and expanded Special Edition configurations. There will be six physical formats in the mix, including a 5CD super deluxe edition and a 4LP+7-inch super deluxe edition. The good news is that all the aforementioned formats will offer a new stereo mix of the album by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, sourced "directly from the original four-track master tapes" and utilizing the now-famous Peter Jackson WingNut Films' "de-mixing" technology used to enhance the audio on the 2021 "Get Back" Beatles documentary series. I plan to purchase the 5CD edition that offers the stereo mix, two discs of 'Sessions' (outtakes, rehearsals and demo versions), an audio CD featuring the original mono mix from the original master tape, and a four-track EP which features new stereo mixes of the non-album single "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" along with the original mono versions. Information: TheBeatles.com.

'A Divine Symmetry: The Journey to Hunky Dory' is set for release on Nov. 25, 2022. 

Artist: David Bowie

Title: A Divine Symmetry: The Journey to Hunky Dory (Parlopone)

You might like if you enjoy: David Bowie

Tell me more: A Divine Symmetry: The Journey to Hunky Dory is a 4CD+blu-ray boxset that chronicles the 12 months running up to the release of the December 1971 David Bowie album Hunky Dory via a mix of home demos, BBC radio sessions as well as live and studio recordings. Along with its wealth of 48 previously unreleased tracks/demos from the period, Divine Symmetry also features new alternative mixes of Hunky Dory tracks by original album co-producer Ken Scott. Two books accompany Divine Symmetry; a 100-page hardback book featuring exclusive memorabilia and photos alongside a 60-page replica composite of Bowie's notebooks from the era featuring handwritten lyrics, costume drawings, recording notes and even set lists. Information: DavidBowie.com.

Artist: Vince Guaraldi

Title: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (Craft Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: Vince Guaraldi, jazz

Tell me more: Beloved for his timeless work scoring more than a dozen classic PEANUTS animated television specials in the 1960s and 1970s, jazz pianist-composer Vince Guaraldi's breakthrough album Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus will receive a deluxe reissue in celebration of its 60th anniversary on Nov. 18. The remastered collection (which includes the GRAMMY Award-winning instrumental hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind") will include a treasure trove of 16 bonus tracks including a dozen never-before-heard alternate takes and outtakes. While the 2CD and digital formats will be released on Nov. 18, 2022, a 3LP version will follow on Feb. 24, 2023; also available on that date is the original 1962 album which is being released as part of Craft Recordings' "Small Batch" one-step lacquer process series featuring all-analog mastering and offering the highest quality listening experience. Information: CraftRecordings.com.

Artist: Guns N' Roses

Title: Guns N’ Roses — Use Your Illusion I & II Super Deluxes (UME/Geffen)

You might like if you enjoy: Guns N' Roses

Tell me more:  Set to land on Nov. 11, 2022, Guns N’ Roses — Use Your Illusion I & II Super Deluxes promise to be the comprehensive celebration of Guns N' Roses' ambitious 1991 multi-platinum releases Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Available in a number of configurations, the 97-track collection will feature 63 previously unreleased songs as well as newly remastered (for the first time ever) versions of both albums. With their release on Sept. 17, 1991, Use Your Illusion I reached No. 2 and Use Your Illusion II took stood in the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 chart concurrently, selling more than 500,000 copies in the first two hours of release! The version of the epic rock ballad "November Rain" on the upcoming reissue will now include a real 50-piece orchestra conducted by Grammy Award winning composer Christopher Lennertz. Information: gunsnroses.com.

John Cougar Mellencamp's 'Scarecrow Deluxe' is set for release on Nov. 4, 2022.

Artist: John Cougar Mellencamp

Title: Scarecrow Deluxe (Mercury)

You might like if you enjoy: John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Ubaldini

Tell me more: Coming Nov. 4 is Scarecrow Deluxe, a newly remixed and remastered edition of John Cougar Mellencamp's eighth studio album Scarecrow. The collection features the original 1985 album, a full disc of rare and previously unreleased cuts, an ATMOS and new high resolution stereo mix of the album and bonus tracks on Blu-ray Disc, a 180-gram LP cut at alf-speed, a 7-inch single of "Small Town" with original picture sleeve, lithographs, a poster, and booklet with a new essay by Anthony DeCurtis. One of the Indiana singer-songwriter's most celebrated albums, Scarecrow includes three bona fide hits — "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock)," "Lonely Ol' Night" and "Small Town." Information: Mellencamp.com.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' 'Live at the Fillmore (1997)' will be issued via five different formats, including the 4CD configuration pictured here.

Artist: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Title: Live at the Fillmore (1997) (Warner Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tell me more: Oct. 2, 2022 marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Tom Petty, who died at the age of 66. Fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer can revisit his incredible legacy via Live at the Fillmore (1977), the troupe's first live album release in 13 years. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' 20-show run at the Fillmore 25 years ago ended up being some of the most joyful, honest, inspirational and prolific experiences of the band’s career, creating a unique bond between the group and their fans. This album features more covers than originals, paying tribute to the artists and songs that shaped Petty’s love of music as he was growing up. Highlights include Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” J.J. Cale’s “Crazy Mama,” The Rolling Stones’ “Time is On My Side” and more from The Kinks, Everly Brothers, Bill Withers, The Byrds, Chuck Berry and Booker T. & the M.G.’s. The collection also features special performances with The Byrds’ front man Roger McGuinn and blues legend John Lee Hooker. Other standouts include extended versions of original tracks “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “It’s Good To Be King.” Due Nov. 25, the album will be available in five formats ranging from  2CD or 3LP versions to a 6LP Uber Deluxe edition (featuring more than four hours of music) available exclusively on the Tom Petty webstore. Information: TomPetty.com.

Robert Kinsler

Sights and Sounds: The Cure, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Cult

Here is a recap of some recent high-profile reissues / new titles fans can expect to see over the next few months...Robert Kinsler

The Cure will reissue 1992’s ‘Wish’ for 30th Anniversary on Friday, October 7, 2022

Originally released in April 1992, Wish was the most successful studio album from groundbreaking British rock heroes The Cure.

The ninth official studio LP from Robert Smith and company, Wish included the enduring cuts "High" and "Friday I'm In Love." The album was nominated for the Best Alternative Music Grammy Award too.

On Oct. 7, 2022, Wish will be reissued to commemorate its 30th anniversary; the reissue will include 24 unreleased tracks as part of the expanded release. To preview the highly anticipated package, listen to "Uyea Sound," one of four cuts from the Cure's mail-order-only cassette Lost Wishes first released in 1993 that is included in the forthcoming reissue. Listen to the track HERE.

Below is the track listing for the 3-CD edition:

CD1 Original Album Remastered by Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios

01: Open (6:51)
02: High (3:37)
03: Apart (6:38)
04: From The Edge of The Green Sea (7:44)
05: Wendy Time (5:13)
06: Doing The Unstuck (4:24)
07: Friday I’m In Love (3:38)
08: Trust (5:32)
09: A Letter To Elise (5:14)
10: Cut (5:55)
11: To Wish Impossible Things (4:43)
12: End (6:45)

CD2 Demos – All previously unreleased versions. *Unreleased track.

01: The Big Hand [1990 Demo] (4:38) [final version on B-side to A Letter To Elise 7”]
02: Cut [1990 Demo] aka “Away” (3:31) [final version appears on WISH]
03: A Letter To Elise [1990 Demo] aka “Cut” (5:01) [final version appears on WISH]
04: Wendy Time [1990 Demo] (5:13) [final version appears on WISH]
05: This Twilight Garden [Instrumental Demo] (3:25) [final version on B-side to High 7″]
06: Scared As You [Instrumental Demo] (2:33) [final version on B-side to Friday I’m In Love 12″]
07: To Wish Impossible Things [Instrumental Demo] (3:33) [final version appears on WISH]
08: Apart [Instrumental Demo] (3:38) [final version appears on WISH]
09: T7 [Instrumental Demo] (2:40) *
10: Now Is The Time [Instrumental demo] (2:20) *
11: Miss van Gogh [Instrumental demo] (2:48) *
12: T6 [Instrumental Demo] (3:14) *
13: Play [Instrumental Demo] (2:28) [final version on B-side to High 12″]
14: A Foolish Arrangement [Instrumental Demo] (2:28) [final version on B-side to A Letter To Elise 12″]
15: Halo [Instrumental Demo] (3:06) [final version on B-side to Friday I’m In Love 7″]
16: Trust [Instrumental Demo] (4:02) [final version appears on WISH]
17: Abetabw [Instrumental Demo] (2:26) *
18: T8 [Instrumental Demo] (2:17) *
19: Heart Attack [Instrumental Demo] (2:41) *
20: Swing Change [Instrumental Demo] (2:10) *
21: Frogfish [Instrumental Demo] (2:35) *

CD3: ’Lost Wishes’ / Studio Out-Takes / 12” Remixes / Live / Rare / Previously Unreleased.
*Unreleased track **Unreleased version

01: Uyea Sound [Dim-D Mix] (5:28 [from Lost Wishes MC 1993]
02: Cloudberry [Dim-D Mix] (5:22) [from Lost Wishes MC 1993]
03: Off To Sleep… [Dim-D Mix] (3:47) [from Lost Wishes MC 1993]
04: The Three Sisters [Dim-D Mix] (4:12) [from Lost Wishes MC 1993]
05: A Wendy Band [Instrumental] (3:47) *
06: From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea [Partscheckruf Mix] (7:36) **
07: Open [Fix Mix] (6:51) [B-side to High 12″]
08: High [Higher Mix] (7:15) [High 12″]
09: Doing The Unstuck [Extended 12” Mix] (5:54)
10: Friday I’m In Love [Strangelove Mix] (5:29 [Friday I’m In Love 12″]
11: A Letter To Elise [Blue Mix] (6:36) [A Letter To Elise 12″]
12: End [Paris Live 92] (8:38) **

Legendary 1970 Creedence Clearwater Revival performance coming Sept. 16, 2022

Previously presumed to be completely lost, a truly mythical live recording of a 1970 performance from Creedence Clearwater Revival will finally be released on Sept. 16.

Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall brings together the entirety of CCR’s fiery performance at the noted London concert venue, as previewed with a clip of “Bad Moon Rising.” Listen to the enthralling cut HERE. The title will be released on audio CD, 180-gram vinyl and even cassette!

More than 50 years after the legendary 1970 show, the original multitrack tapes have been meticulously restored and mixed by GRAMMY®-winning producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell. The hits-packed setlist includes such classics as “Fortunate Son,” “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Born on the Bayou” and more.

Here is a media release with more details on the late summer release: 

After spending roughly 50 years in storage, the original multitrack tapes were meticulously restored and mixed by the GRAMMY® Award-winning team of producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, who have helmed countless acclaimed projects together, including the Beatles’ 50th-anniversary editions of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as audio for the Elton John biopic Rocketman and Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back Series. The LP was mastered by the celebrated engineer Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios using half-speed technology for the highest-quality listening experience.

Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall will also be released as a documentary film, Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall.

Directed by two-time GRAMMY® Award winner Bob Smeaton (The Beatles Anthology and Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies) and narrated by Academy Award®-winning actor Jeff Bridges, the film takes viewers from the band’s earliest years together in El Cerrito, CA through their meteoric rise to fame. Featuring a wealth of unseen footage, Travelin’ Band culminates with the band’s show at the Royal Albert Hall—marking the only concert footage of the original CCR lineup to be released in its entirety. 

The track listing for the standard CD/LP/cassette editions:

Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall tracklist (CD, Digital)

1.    Born on the Bayou
2.    Green River
3.    Tombstone Shadow
4.    Travelin’ Band
5.    Fortunate Son
6.    Commotion
7.    Midnight Special
8.    Bad Moon Rising
9.    Proud Mary
10. The Night Time Is the Right Time
11. Good Golly Miss Molly
12. Keep on Chooglin’

Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall tracklist (Vinyl, Cassette)

A1. Born on the Bayou
A2. Green River
A3. Tombstone Shadow
A4. Travelin’ Band
A5. Fortunate Son
A6. Commotion
A7. Midnight Special
B1. Bad Moon Rising
B2. Proud Mary
B3. The Night Time Is the Right Time
B4. Good Golly Miss Molly
B5. Keep on Chooglin’

The Cult to release 'Under The Midnight Sun' on Friday, October 7, 2022

The Cult is set to return with a new full-length album, Under The Midnight Sun, on Oct. 7, 2022. 

Set for release by Round Hill Records, the album includes the killer advance track "Give Me Mercy." Watch the official music video for "Give Me Mercy" HERE. 

According to the official media release notes for the album:

The Cult has reveled in a storied career. From the pre-millennial iconic Love album bursting with idealism and the full on blast of 2001’s Beyond Good & Evil to the recent biting truth of Hidden City, the band has lived their art. How the future unfolds will be decided in part by current cultures response and the group’s response. One thing is for sure, The Cult will respond. It’s what they do. The Cult’s next endeavor Under The Midnight Sun is out October 7, 2022.

The Beatles' 'Abbey Road' is celebrated with essential 50th Anniversary edition

When it comes to rock and popular music, there are The Beatles and then there is everyone else. A newly-expanded deluxe edition of the Fab Four's final studio album Abbey Road is a stunning reminder of the timeless magic created by the creative collaboration between John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and famed producer/"5th Beatle" George Martin throughout the 1960s. 

Artist: The Beatles
Title: Abbey Road - 50th Anniversary Edition (Capitol)
You might like if you enjoy: The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Badfinger
Tell me more: Fifty years after its original release in the United Kingdom on September 26, 1969, The Beatles' final album Abbey Road has been released as an essential Deluxe Anniversary Edition complete with new stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos mixes. The four-disc version includes 40 essential tracks – featured on three audio CD discs and a Blu-ray disc. After getting the new edition on the day of its release, this writer immediately immersed himself in the new stereo and 5.1 surround mixes; cheers to both 2019 mix producer Giles Martin (the son of the original album's producer George Martin) and 2019 mix engineer Sam Okell for retaining the original character of the album while somehow finding a way to bring out the distinctive vocals and musical nuances of each classic song without thrusting the remastered release into "the loudness war" that has ruined a parade of recordings in recent years.

There are a slew of wonderful previously-unheard tracks; in particular, fans of George Harrison will love the intimate home demo of "Something," a freewheeling early take of his "Old Brown Shoe" and an animated alternate version of "Here Comes The Sun." 

So many of the tracks include playful bits of banter of The Beatles in the studio, often working out the songs and providing insight into their creative process and signature personalities. Listeners will hear the band on early and alternate tracks of many of their final creations, including alternative cuts of "Come Together," "Her Majesty," Maxwell's Silver Hammer" "Sun King," "Octopus's Garden" and "The End." Great stuff.

The edition's packaging is a worthy follow-up to the deluxe edition of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band released in May 2017 and the six-disc Super Deluxe edition of The White Album released in November 2018. Housed in a slip-sleeved 12-inch by 12-inch 100-page fully-illustrated hardbound book, "Abbey Road" includes a foreword penned by Sir Paul McCartney, images of handwritten lyrics, previously-unseen photos (many taken by Linda McCartney) and in-depth notes capturing the period that gave rise to the album.

Listening to Abbey Road anew is to realize that The Beatles' final hour found the group as great as ever. 

Information: TheBeatles.com.

Robert Kinsler

The Beatles celebrate 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' with 50th Anniversary Edition

Wow! Does this release look amazing, or what?! This release is coming in late May!

The Beatles Celebrate 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' With Special 50th Anniversary Edition Releases

It was 50 years ago this June 1st when The Beatles' John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr astonished and delighted the world, ushering in the Summer of Love with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a groundbreaking masterwork that became popular music's most universally acclaimed album. To salute the occasion, The Beatles will release a suite of lavishly presented 'Sgt. Pepper' Anniversary Edition packages on May 26 (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe). The album is newly mixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio and expanded with early takes from the studio sessions, including no fewer than 34 previously unreleased recordings.

"It's crazy to think that 50 years later we are looking back on this project with such fondness and a little bit of amazement at how four guys, a great producer and his engineers could make such a lasting piece of art," says Paul McCartney in his newly-penned introduction for the 'Sgt. Pepper' Anniversary Edition.

"'Sgt. Pepper' seemed to capture the mood of that year, and it also allowed a lot of other people to kick off from there and to really go for it," Ringo Starr recalls in the Anniversary Edition's book.

For Record Store Day on April 22, Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe will release an exclusive, limited edition seven-inch vinyl single of The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane," among the first songs recorded during the 'Sgt. Pepper' sessions, which began in November 1966. Rather than being held for inclusion on the album, the two songs were released as a double A-sided single in February 1967. Amidst intense media speculation about the band's next move, the single bridged what was then considered a long gap between the Revolver album, released in August 1966, and 'Sgt. Pepper,' which followed 10 months later.

This is the first time Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been remixed and presented with additional session recordings, and it is the first Beatles album to be remixed and expanded since the 2003 release of Let It Be… Naked. To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for 'Sgt. Pepper,' producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London. All of the Anniversary Edition releases include Martin's new stereo mix of the album, which was sourced directly from the original four-track session tapes and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by his father, George Martin.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition releases include:

A CD featuring the new 'Sgt. Pepper' stereo mix, complete with the original U.K. album's "Edit for LP End" run-out groove.

Deluxe:  Expanded 2CD and digital package features the new stereo album mix on the first CD and adds a second CD of 18 tracks, including previously unreleased complete takes of the album's 13 songs, newly mixed in stereo and sequenced in the same order as the album. The second CD also includes a new stereo mix and a previously unreleased instrumental take of "Penny Lane" and the 2015 stereo mix and two previously unreleased complete takes of "Strawberry Fields Forever."